Petition: Send 4,000 Castle Point homes plan back to drawing board

A PETITION has been launched calling on Castle Point Council to send plans for 4,000 homes in the borough back to the drawing board.

Leaflets have been distributed calling on residents to take “urgent action” and sign the online petition against adoption of the council’s housing strategy.

The petition calls for the council to revise plans for 450 homes on green belt land off Kiln Road and 200 homes off Felstead Road, Benfleet, claiming they are vital “green lungs”.

The campaign also calls for the council to consider “other robust and imaginative solutions” such as joining other councils in creating a new town in Essex.

Ray Smith, of Runnymede Chase, Thundersley, said: “I’ve lived here 45 years and even with the small amount of work on new homes down the road it is causing a nightmare. I signed the petition because the situation is only going to get worse.

“Roads here are so narrow they will not cope with the extra traffic. In Rochford, they are building lots of new homes, so all that extra traffic will come through the A127 and A13.

There’ll be gridlock.”

As well as identifying sites for homes, the Local Plan proposes expanding industrial estates in Canvey and Benfleet to create 2,100 jobs, improvements to the road network and creation of schools and health centres.

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The council claims it must approve the Local Plan, or face having to build 7,000 homes and having planning powers removed by the Government.

Residents have until March 21 to have their say on the raft consultation.

The responses will then be reviewed, ahead of a decision later this year.

The petition can be viewed at www.changetheplan.org

We’re delivering details ourselves

CAMPAIGNERS are taking matters into their own hands and delivering information to bewildered residents.

Hundreds of homes have not received a consultation package on the draft Local Plan detailing proposals to build 4,000 homes in Castle Point by 2031.

Now, with the consultation running only until March 21, a group of residents picked up handfuls of leaflets, including questionnaires, from the council offices, in Kiln Road, and are delivering them.

Karen Robinson, 47, of Essex Way, Benfleet, is a member of Residents against Glyders Expansion, where 35 homes could be built.

She will deliver the plans to addresses in Essex Way, Norwood Drive and St Mary’s Drive, in Benfleet.

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Mrs Robinson said: “We decided to do it ourselves as people must get their opinions in now. With only weeks to go, we can’t afford to be idle, so we will hand deliver them. Of 190 doors, we knocked on I would say about 70 per cent didn’t have a leaflet and that is not good enough.”

Steve Rogers, the council’s head of regeneration and neighbourhoods, said recently the council would not be extending the consultation and added it was in talks with Royal Mail as to why so many leaflets had not been delivered.

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Comments (8)

the 'bewildered residents' described above are frankly, screwed, as are those in hockley, rayleigh, rochford and all surrounding areas..... 1000's of new houses are coming, like it or not, the council have no choice and the consequences will be dire in just about every respect...... worst of all, and a fact many simply do not grasp, is that it will do little or nothing to address local housing needs, all that will happen is thousands more will be sucked in from london, cashing in on inflated prices in the capitol, and your kids will have about as much chance of buying locally in the future as they do today..... virtually zilch

the 'bewildered residents' described above are frankly, screwed, as are those in hockley, rayleigh, rochford and all surrounding areas..... 1000's of new houses are coming, like it or not, the council have no choice and the consequences will be dire in just about every respect...... worst of all, and a fact many simply do not grasp, is that it will do little or nothing to address local housing needs, all that will happen is thousands more will be sucked in from london, cashing in on inflated prices in the capitol, and your kids will have about as much chance of buying locally in the future as they do today..... virtually zilchpembury53

the 'bewildered residents' described above are frankly, screwed, as are those in hockley, rayleigh, rochford and all surrounding areas..... 1000's of new houses are coming, like it or not, the council have no choice and the consequences will be dire in just about every respect...... worst of all, and a fact many simply do not grasp, is that it will do little or nothing to address local housing needs, all that will happen is thousands more will be sucked in from london, cashing in on inflated prices in the capitol, and your kids will have about as much chance of buying locally in the future as they do today..... virtually zilch

Score: 5

RichLambourne says...3:23pm Mon 10 Mar 14

Whate is so worrying for the residents of Castle Point, Rochford Rayleigh Southend et al is that the road network is a breaking point, maintenance cant be done yet we are all getting these extra homes ECC in their plan until 2021 have few if any improvements planned fo this corner of essex

Whate is so worrying for the residents of Castle Point, Rochford Rayleigh Southend et al is that the road network is a breaking point, maintenance cant be done yet we are all getting these extra homes
ECC in their plan until 2021 have few if any improvements planned fo this corner of essexRichLambourne

Whate is so worrying for the residents of Castle Point, Rochford Rayleigh Southend et al is that the road network is a breaking point, maintenance cant be done yet we are all getting these extra homes ECC in their plan until 2021 have few if any improvements planned fo this corner of essex

Score: 6

ducky18 says...3:37pm Mon 10 Mar 14

The houses that have been built so far in Kiln Road are at least £350,000. Could somebody tell me where the affordable housing is here?

The houses that have been built so far in Kiln Road are at least £350,000. Could somebody tell me where the affordable housing is here?ducky18

The houses that have been built so far in Kiln Road are at least £350,000. Could somebody tell me where the affordable housing is here?

Score: 2

Keptquiettillnow says...3:40pm Mon 10 Mar 14

So with the predicted traffic problems that will come with this house build, what are CP council going to do for people who might not want to drive a car? What is their infrastructure plan?

So with the predicted traffic problems that will come with this house build, what are CP council going to do for people who might not want to drive a car?
What is their infrastructure plan?Keptquiettillnow

So with the predicted traffic problems that will come with this house build, what are CP council going to do for people who might not want to drive a car? What is their infrastructure plan?

Score: 3

carnmountyouknowitmakessense says...3:58pm Mon 10 Mar 14

I don't really think it is the public's business, to have a say on such matters.

I don't really think it is the public's business, to have a say on such matters.carnmountyouknowitmakessense

I don't really think it is the public's business, to have a say on such matters.

Score: -7

barmy65 says...7:05pm Mon 10 Mar 14

All this about Castle Point new houses being built and objected to, Canvey is never mentioned, by the mainland, we pay same council tax, same bills, etc. but are regarded as second rate and dont seem to come into the equasion, you talk about your green pastures being spoilt, we hardly have any, yet we have lots of proposed housing about to be built, you talk about your roads being blocked by traffic, we havent got the roads to get us off in an emergency, the attitude seems to be SHOVE IT ALL ON CANVEY, we dont want it, thanks mainland

All this about Castle Point new houses being built and objected to, Canvey is never mentioned, by the mainland, we pay same council tax, same bills, etc. but are regarded as second rate and dont seem to come into the equasion, you talk about your green pastures being spoilt, we hardly have any, yet we have lots of proposed housing about to be built, you talk about your roads being blocked by traffic, we havent got the roads to get us off in an emergency, the attitude seems to be SHOVE IT ALL ON CANVEY, we dont want it, thanks mainlandbarmy65

All this about Castle Point new houses being built and objected to, Canvey is never mentioned, by the mainland, we pay same council tax, same bills, etc. but are regarded as second rate and dont seem to come into the equasion, you talk about your green pastures being spoilt, we hardly have any, yet we have lots of proposed housing about to be built, you talk about your roads being blocked by traffic, we havent got the roads to get us off in an emergency, the attitude seems to be SHOVE IT ALL ON CANVEY, we dont want it, thanks mainland

Score: 0

pembury53 says...8:13am Tue 11 Mar 14

ducky18 wrote…

The houses that have been built so far in Kiln Road are at least £350,000. Could somebody tell me where the affordable housing is here?

don't worry, that'll be more than affordable for a couple getting 600 grand for their mid terrace in islington......

[quote][p][bold]ducky18[/bold] wrote:
The houses that have been built so far in Kiln Road are at least £350,000. Could somebody tell me where the affordable housing is here?[/p][/quote]don't worry, that'll be more than affordable for a couple getting 600 grand for their mid terrace in islington......pembury53

ducky18 wrote…

The houses that have been built so far in Kiln Road are at least £350,000. Could somebody tell me where the affordable housing is here?

don't worry, that'll be more than affordable for a couple getting 600 grand for their mid terrace in islington......

Score: 1

Julescb says...8:06pm Wed 12 Mar 14

While I thoroughly agree with the sentiments of the petition how can people be so hypocritical, this petition calls for the destruction of H18 just because the wildlife outnumber humans as residents in this area which is home to snakes foxes owls and deer, who will be killed off by the destruction of this area. It is also used by equestrians, as 2 local riding clubs and the pony clubs use fields in this area, which also has a network of bridleways. Before calling for the destruction take time to actually think about what you are demanding. We should as a community be calling for the evidence for the number of new houses to be built in the area. The regeneration and the use of previously developed / brown field sites before any greenbelt is released

While I thoroughly agree with the sentiments of the petition how can people be so hypocritical, this petition calls for the destruction of H18 just because the wildlife outnumber humans as residents in this area which is home to snakes foxes owls and deer, who will be killed off by the destruction of this area. It is also used by equestrians, as 2 local riding clubs and the pony clubs use fields in this area, which also has a network of bridleways.
Before calling for the destruction take time to actually think about what you are demanding. We should as a community be calling for the evidence for the number of new houses to be built in the area. The regeneration and the use of previously developed / brown field sites before any greenbelt is releasedJulescb

While I thoroughly agree with the sentiments of the petition how can people be so hypocritical, this petition calls for the destruction of H18 just because the wildlife outnumber humans as residents in this area which is home to snakes foxes owls and deer, who will be killed off by the destruction of this area. It is also used by equestrians, as 2 local riding clubs and the pony clubs use fields in this area, which also has a network of bridleways. Before calling for the destruction take time to actually think about what you are demanding. We should as a community be calling for the evidence for the number of new houses to be built in the area. The regeneration and the use of previously developed / brown field sites before any greenbelt is released

Ipsoregulated

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